Electric fluting machine



Dec. R, Q CLARK ET AL ELECTRI C FLUT ING MACHINE Filed April 4, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR S l BT ATTORNEY' Dec. l5, 1936. R. o. CLARK ET AL 2,064,732

ELECTRIC FLUTING MACHINE Filed April 4, 1956 2 sheets-sheet 2 A W @n Q 0 w f ,6 5 ,Z w m wf W Y W,

v INVENTORS B* ,azf mnd/rf ATTORNEY Patented Dec. l5, 1936 'NiraED STATE 2,064,732 ELECTRIC FLUTING MACHINE Ralph Otto Clark and Lucie Anna-Clark, Estherville, Iowa Application April 4, 1936, Serial No. '72,814

1 Claim.

Ilhis invention relates to electric fluting machines and has for an object to provide a machine of this type which may be clamped to an ironing board and which may be hand operated to form neat accurate flutes or pleats in window curtains and other articles.

A further object is to provide a fiuting machine in which the fabric to be fluted is operated upon by two top rollers which are located at opposite sides of the vertical center of a lower roller and which are provided with cogs engaging cogs of the lower roller, the upper rollers being electrically heated and being yieldably pressed downward at the ends so that they may be tilted vertically on their axes to respond to inequalities such as hems, seams and the like, in the article tc be fluted.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, it being understood that various modifications may be resorted to within the scope cf the appended claim without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention. In the accompanying drawings forming part of 20 this specification,

Figure l is a front elevation of the improved utng machine in applied position on an ironing board.

o Figure 2 is an end elevation of the machine with the rollers shown in dotted lines.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 3 3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view taken on the y line /l-4 of Figure 3 showing the heating coils of 3 the rollers. y

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 5--5 of Figure 3 showing the yielding means for holding the upper rollers pressed downwardly and showing the conductor rings and brushes for electrically connecting the heating coils together.

Referring now to the drawings in which like characters of reference designate similar parts in the various views, Ill designates a bracket having 4|, a foot I I at the bottom through which a set screw I2 is passed. A pair of lugs I3 are formed integral with the bracket and are adapted to be placed upon the upper side of an ironing board I4, as best shown in Figure 1. The set screw I2 is then screwed up tight against the ironing board to anchor the bracket to the ironing board. The lugs I3 are connected at the front end by a plate I5, as best shown in Figures 2 and 3. A lower roller I6 is fixed to a shaft I1 which is journaled 55 at the ends in respective openings in the plate I5 and in the bracket II). The lugs I3 have concave inner faces I8 which house the lower side of the roller. As best shown in Figure 2 the roller is provided with longitudinal cogs I9.

A cover plate 2i) is fixed at one end to the top of the bracket by means of a screw 2| and is provided at its opposite end with a depending flange 22.

A pair of shafts 23 are `iournaled in vertical slots 24 formed in the flange 22 and are provided with bearing bushings 25 of insulating material which are mounted in slots 26 in the bracket II), as shown best in Figure 4. Hollow rollers 21 are fixed to these shafts, as best shown in Figure 2, and these rollers are located above and at opposite sides of the vertical center of the lower roller I6. The hollow rollers are provided with heating coils 23, the ends of which are brought through` their respective bushings 26 and are connected to respective conductor rings 29 and 8, xed to the bushings 25. The upper rollers are provided with 20 cogs 39 which mesh with the cogs I9 of the lower roller IIS.

As best shown in Figure 5, a leaf spring brush 3l is mounted on a block of insulation 32 which is fixed to the bracket III by screws 33, the ends of the brush bearing upon the inner conductor rings 8. Brushes 34 bear upon the outer conductor rings 29. Current is conducted to the brushes 34 through a cable 35 which may be plugged in to any convenient outlet.

By referring to Figure 3 it will be seen that a pair of spring bars 3B are secured respectively to the flange 22 and to the wall of a casing 31 which houses the conductor rings and brushes, and these spring bars exert downward pressure upon the ends of the shafts of the upper rollers 21 to permit the upper rollers to yield vertically and also to tilt somewhat to conform to inequalities such as seams, hems, or the like, in the material being fluted.

A crank handle 38 is fixed to the shaft I1 of the lower.roller and may be manually operated to rotate the rollers to feed the material between them.

1n operation the material to be fluted, such as lace curtains or the like, may be passed in between the heated upper rollers and the bottom roller and the crank handle 38 may then be rotated to feed the material through the rollers. The meshing cogs of the rollers deform the material and shape it to provide flutes or pleats of uniform length and width during progress of the material between the rollers.

From the above description it is thought that 55 CAD the construction and operation of the invention will be fully understood Without further explanation.

What is claimed is:

An electric uting machine comprising a bracket, means for securing the bracket to a support, a

conductor rings for each coil fixed upon and insulated from the associated shaft, brushes engaging the conductor rings for supplying current to the coils, a housing for the conductor rings, there being slots in the bracket and in the flange permitting the top rollers to yield vertically and cant on their axes, springs carried by the housing and by the ange and bearing upon the rollers to yieldably hold the rollers at their lowest limit of movement, and means for rotating the lower roller to feed the material to be fluted between the lower roller and the top rollers.

RALPH OTTO CLARK. LUCIE ANNA CLARK. 

